Photos: Underestimated eats

Researchers looked and compiled profiles on 20 diets, which were reviewed by a panel of 22 experts in diet and nutrition, diabetes and heart disease.

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Eggs

Oh, the lamentable egg. Eggs became nutritional persona non grata when cholesterol fell out of favour in the 1970s and ’80s. High in cholesterol, egg yolks were labelled as risky choices for those who were concerned about their hearts. More recent research, however, has revealed that dietary cholesterol not only has a limited impact on blood cholesterol, but population studies have found that the association between egg consumption (up to seven yolks per week) and heart disease is relatively weak (the exception being those with type 2 diabetes, who seem to see an increased risk of cardiovascular events with egg consumption). What’s more, eggs are a good source of protein, and the yolks contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients that are important for eye health, as well as choline, which is important for brain development.

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Lean red meat

Red meat has fallen out of favour because it has been associated with colorectal cancer, and fatty cuts of beef and pork are believed to raise cholesterol levels, and, in turn increase our risk of cardiovascular disease. But despite the negative attention, red meats are actually remarkably nutritious and provide some nutrients that can be difficult to obtain from other sources. In particular, the meat from four-legged animals is high in heme iron, a type of iron that is absorbed about three times better than the non-heme iron found in plant foods such as spinach and beans. This makes red meats particularly beneficial for those who have reduced iron stores, most commonly women of child-bearing years.

Beyond iron, red meats are also among the best food sources of zinc, important for wound healing and immune system function, and vitamin B12, important for red blood cell formation: A 3-oz. serving of most red meats will provide between a third and a half of your daily needs for both nutrients.

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Peanut butter

Once a lunchtime staple, peanut butter has tumbled down the nutritional ladder, not only because of its high fat and calorie content, but also because of its potential to trigger severe food allergies. Poor public image aside, however, peanut butter actually boasts an impressive nutritional resume, not only for being one of the relatively few foods rich in vitamin E (a 2-tablespoon serving provides 17 per cent of your daily needs), but because of research demonstrating that regular nut and nut butter consumers tend to have a lower body weight than their nut-avoiding counterparts. While this seems counterintuitive — after all, nuts and nut butters are among the highest-calorie foods around — nuts may help with weight control by serving as natural appetite suppressors, and research suggests that we don't actually absorb all of the fats from nuts, but rather excrete a portion in our waste.

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Pumpkin seeds

Nuts seem to get all the attention, but seeds have just as much to offer. Pumpkin seeds, in particular, are rich in iron (a 1-oz./28-gram serving provides about a quarter of your daily iron needs, albeit from the less-readily absorbed non-heme iron that is derived from plants), making them a handy food for vegetarians, vegans, or those who don't eat much red meat. A serving of shelled pumpkin seeds also offers up a third of your daily magnesium requirements, a particularly important yet under-consumed mineral that is important for bone health, muscle functioning and blood pressure control, and whose muscle-relaxing properties seem to ease constipation.

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Bananas

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard someone make the statement that "bananas are high in sugar," well, I'd have a nice sweater. Reviled in much of the popular diet press for apparently causing unwanted blood sugar spikes, many have been left with the impression that bananas somehow fall in the same dietary category as chocolate bars. Not fair. Rich in potassium (a medium banana provides 422 mg, or about 12 per cent of your daily needs), a nutrient important for blood pressure control, and a good source of fibre, a medium banana provides a modest 105 calories and 27 grams of carbohydrates, which is one gram less than the much less-reviled pear, and a good 50 grams (and several hundred calories) fewer carbohydrates than a small milkshake. But perhaps more importantly, the glycemic (blood sugar-raising) impact of bananas is actually quite modest: According to The Glycemic Index, most studies have demonstrated that bananas are actually low, or at best moderately glycemic, meaning that they have a relatively limited impact on blood sugar. To put it another way, I don’t think that our intake of bananas is the reason we have an obesity crisis.

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Potatoes

Almost every diet book now puts potatoes on the "no-no" list. You’ll frequently hear of recommendations that we reduce our intake of "whites," namely white flour, white sugar, white rice and white bread. Potatoes are usually included in this list. The problem seems to be the potato’s ability to rapidly raise blood sugar, otherwise known as its glycemic index.
Unlike nutritional weaklings like white sugar, however, a whole potato is rich in a variety of nutrients, in particular fibre (four grams per medium potato with skin) and potassium. In fact, when it comes to potassium, which seems to play an important role in blood pressure control, potatoes are a chart-topper: a medium potato provides 610 mg of the mineral (the recommended daily intake is 4,700 mg), compared with 422 mg in the more ballyhooed banana. Moreover, whileboiled, peeled potatoes eaten on their own are high on the glycemic index (meaning they do cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly after eating), a modest-sized baked potato with skin, eaten as part of a mixed meal (i.e. with protein and fats) generally has a glycemic index in the moderate range. For my money, potatoes can still be a part of a healthy diet, but your best bet is to keep the skin on and keep the portions moderate - a half of a baked potato is plenty for most of us.

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Soybeans

I actually feel a little sorry for soybeans. For some reason, we feel compelled to take a rather nutritious and tasty bean and do all sorts of inhumane things to it (no offence to the soygurt fans out there). Yet if we would just leave the soybean alone and treat it the same way we do chick peas or lentils, it would hold up just fine, both in taste and nutritional value. Case in point: a half-cup serving of cooked soybeans ranks among the richest food sources of potassium, magnesium, fibre and iron, and is a good source of calcium. On top of that, plain old soybeans taste just fine, and work well in bean salads, soups, or even on their own with a bit of tomato or hot sauce.

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